


I want to know you

by xTarmanderx



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Liam loves Theo’s voice, M/M, OTLSpooktober2020, hidden identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27320464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/pseuds/xTarmanderx
Summary: For months, Liam’s been in love with the voice of a faceless YouTube star. What happens when Liam gets the chance to meet him?
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 19
Kudos: 63





	I want to know you

**Author's Note:**

> For the OTL Spooktober 2020 Halloween event for the free space on the bingo card. 
> 
> Based off the fact that I love corpse_husband on YouTube and his voice is so soothing to me. So I wanted to Thiam it.

Fuck. He’d overslept  _ again. _

Grimacing, Liam rushed through the motions of getting ready for school. If he was lucky, he could still make it to the second half of first period. Fuck, his teacher was going to kill him for this. He didn’t have time for a shower, but he could probably skip out on lunch to take one in the locker room. Coach usually didn’t give a shit about that kind of thing.

Twenty-five minutes later, he slid into his spot beside Mason at their lab table with a detention slip in hand. “Intense,” his best friend commented. “How late were you up last night?”

“Ugh, I’m not even sure I got real sleep.” Liam said, scrubbing a hand down his face. Unfortunately, he couldn’t rub the exhaustion out. “But  _ Chimera _ uploaded two videos at midnight and then I got sucked down the rabbit hole of YouTube.”

“Dude, you’ve got such an unhealthy obsession with that guy’s voice.” Mason said. Liam wanted to protest it, but his phone buzzed with a notification and he pulled it out.  _ New video. _ “Liam. We’re in class.” He said, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry, man.” Smiling sheepishly, He untangled his earbuds from the pocket of his hoodie and popped one in. Trailing it down his sleeve, he connected the cord and his phone before pulling the video up. Pressing his palm to his ear with the earbud resting against it, he pretended to pay attention to the lecture while a low voice filled his ear.

_ ”If you’re a new listener, thank you for checking out my channel. Make it to subscribe and hit the bell icon to get notifications. If you’re one of my regular listeners, then welcome back. Today’s stories have been submitted by a user named Polly and have been curated. The first story is from a female’s perspective, when she was just a teenager.” _ Liam let the voice wash over him and closed his eyes.

-

As Halloween crept closer, Liam fell further and further down the rabbit hole of videos. Not much was known about the man who went by  _ Chimera _ . He went to school of some kind, though it was unclear whether or not it was high school or college. He had health issues that he mentioned briefly when discussing why he didn’t upload videos for days at a time, but no one knew what the issues were. Liam was pretty sure he loved him. Okay, so maybe love was a bit extreme. But he was definitely crushing on the faceless YouTube celebrity. Mason knew and teased him relentlessly about it, but what did he know?

Which was why, much to his surprise, Mason knew something about  _ Chimera _ before he did. “Here,” he slapped down three tickets in front of Liam as he sat down at his table one morning.

“What’s this?” Raising a brow, he picked up one of the tickets and stared down at it.  _ Chimera’s True Face? Reveal event at Sinema on the 31st at 9pm, be there or forever be in the dark. _

“Your crush is doing a face reveal at a live reading event next weekend. Announced it on Instagram just before class, so I went to the office and asked Corey to print these out for me.”

“Pays to have a boyfriend working in the front office,” Liam croaked weakly.

“You’re lucky I love you and support you in all that you do.” Mason said, plucking the ticket from his grasp and sliding it neatly into his binder. “These cost me a hundred dollars. Happy birthday and Merry Christmas.”

“I love you and if you didn’t have Corey, I would marry you. But I want my ticket.” Liam’s fingers slid across the table and Mason batted at him, firmly shaking his head.

“Absolutely not. I am holding onto this until the event because knowing you, you’ll lose them.” And, well, Liam couldn’t really argue with that.

“You’re the best and I don’t deserve you.”

“Damn right.”

-

The week crawled by, making Liam more and more anxious as time passed. He was going to be within a hundred feet of the man that he crushed on. For months, he had built up this image in his head of what the other man could look like. Tall, just over six feet, with jet black hair and piercings and tattoos. A wicked smirk on his lips and a sharp sense of humor. He knew it was stupid to picture someone he’d never met, but he couldn’t help it. He was close enough to see it all so clearly in his mind’s eye.

Friday night came out of nowhere and Liam picked up his phone with shaking fingers. “I can’t,” he lamented as soon as Mason answered his call. “I can’t.”

“Come downstairs and let me in.” The call ended and he pouted down at the dark screen. Rude. Rolling his eyes, he jogged to the front door and opened it to find Mason and Corey on the other side.

“We weren’t leaving for another hour,” he said.

“An hour for you to back out? Or worse, try and leave town? You’re mental of you think I was going to just let you panic on your own. Upstairs. You’re going to take a hot shower and Corey and I are going to pick your outfit.” Mason said, already brushing past him.

“Hey, Liam.” Corey smiled shyly, following after his boyfriend.

“What if I pass out? Or make an ass out of myself?” He asked, taking the stairs two at a time in an attempt to catch Mason. When the fuck had he gotten so quick? By the time Liam reached his room, his closet doors were thrown open and shirts were being plucked from their hangers.

“You won’t. Stop being an idiot. Tonight is going to be amazing.” Mason said, not even looking at him. “Shower. Now.”

“Yes, mom.” Liam said in defeat. If he pushed his luck, Mason would have no qualms with dragging him into the bathroom and shoving him fully clothed under the spray. He’d done it twice before.

Half an hour later, he was tugging on a pair of black jeans that hung low on his hips. He’d almost forgotten these had existed. With them, Mason handed over a black and gray shirt that was soft to the touch and covered in skulls. A nice touch for Halloween, he supposed. As he stood in front of the mirror, Mason came up behind him and ruffled his hair to try and style it. “I don’t know if you’re going to make a difference,” Liam told him.

“I just want you to look hot when you meet your crush.” Mason insisted, brushing imaginary specks of dust from his shoulders. “Now, are you ready to go?”

“No,” Liam said even as he started toward his bedroom door. “And Mase? Thanks.”

“What else are best friends for?” Grinning, the other boy followed suit and linked arms with Corey.

-

Front. Row. Seats.  _ Front. Row. _

Liam couldn’t wrap his mind around it as he sat down next to Mason. They were right in front of the stage. Well, if one could call it that. It was more like a small wooden platform, not even a foot off the ground, with a long table set on top of it. A microphone rested on top of it, with a soundboard and a banner hanging from it that had  _ Chimera _ written in thick black spirals.

“Excuse me, may I have your attention please?” A woman took the stage and silence fell over the room. “First of all, we want to thank you for all for being here. We ask that there is no flash photography and that you please hold all questions to the end of the performance. Our esteemed guest will be recording this for his YouTube channel and asks that you please be quiet and respectful. At the end of the stories, he will reveal his identity and you’ll be able to take pictures and meet him after the performance. Thank you.” Smiling, she stepped off the platform and walked over to the corner of the room. The lights dimmed around them and Liam’s breath caught.

Pushing through the beaded curtains, someone made their way to the stage. He wore part of a wolf mask, his face covered save for one green eye that scanned the room. He was dressed in all black, not a single nod to Halloween in his attire, and Liam tugged slightly at the hem of his own shirt. Whoever this guy was, he was built. His thighs looked thick enough to crush skulls and his shirt was stretched snugly over his chest, hugging his arms perfectly. Whoever he was, he was already beautiful.

“Thank you all for being here.” A deep voice greeted them as he took a seat at the table, sliding the microphone a little closer. “A few weeks ago, I asked for story submissions to fit the theme for tonight: not truly alone at home. I’ve picked three stories that I think you’re really going to enjoy. With that said, let’s begin.” He pressed a button on the soundboard and the faint whistle of wind through trees began to play.

The first story came from a fan named Colleen. It’s a short story, one that tells of a time when she was a kid and woke up home alone - or so she’d thought. After hearing voices downstairs, she’d gone down to help her family unpack from their grocery store trip. However, she’d been greeted with two unfamiliar faces sneaking around in her kitchen. Apparently meth addicts had broken in during her nap and were trying to steal the silver. The story ended with Colleen calling the police and nothing terrible happening, but it was a great story nonetheless and had the audience on the edges of their seats.

“Our next story comes from a native from Beacon Hills,” the man murmured, “who asked to be anonymous.” Liam straightened a little more at that, breath catching at the back of his throat.

“I was thirteen years old, just a young boy who thought he was ready to be left alone. My mom was on a date, one of the first ones she’d had since my dad left, and I had finally convinced her that I was old enough to stay home alone for a few hours. I had spent the day with my best friend. Nothing crazy, just two teenage boys wasting their days as we do.”

“When I got home that night, my mom had already left for her date. She’d put leftovers in the fridge for me, I guess because she didn’t want me to order food and a stranger to find out I was home alone. It didn’t matter. I loved my mom’s cooking and I was glad that I didn’t have to fend for myself.” Liam closed his eyes as he listened, heart pounding in his chest. He remembered the night all too well.

“My phone was on like three percent, so I had to go plug it in the second I got home. I wasn’t really hungry yet, so I plugged in my phone and decided to go take a shower to pass the time. I was feeling good about being home alone, really good. I walked around butt naked on my way to the shower, glad I didn’t have to wear clothes.” His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “Freedom felt really fucking good.”

“Liam,” Mason whispered. There was a question in there, but he could only shake his head. He didn’t want to answer it. Mason already knew the story.

“By the time I got out of the shower, I was starting to feel hungry. Like any teenager, I needed to have my phone on me at all times. So I went to get it off the charger. But it was unplugged. And I swear I plugged it in. My charger was a little frayed at the edges and it took some finagling to get it to charge right, but I could have sworn I did it before I went to shower. I convinced myself that I’d just made a mistake and so I plugged it in again and went downstairs. Things got weirder after that.”

Silently, Mason reached out his hand and Liam clutched onto it for dear life.

“I walked into the kitchen and at first, I couldn’t figure out what was different. The pantry door was cracked open, but that wasn’t unusual in our household. Mom and I often grabbed snacks on the door and we always forgot to shut it behind us. I took another look around, trying to figure out what felt off to me, and gave up when I couldn’t place it. I didn’t notice the bit of mud at the bottom of the pantry door. I didn’t hear the heavy breathing. I really wish I had.”

“After grabbing my leftovers, I went upstairs to eat in my room while my phone charged. I’d promised to text my mom every half hour after I’d gotten home and I was already running late. But when I picked up my phone, it still wasn’t charging. Down to one percent. I tried and tried to fix my charger, but the damn thing wasn’t working. And then I heard it. Footsteps.”

“See, my house was kind of old and you had to be careful about where you stepped because the floorboards made this godawful creaking noise. Someone was coming up the stairs. My room was at the top of the stairs, but I had a secret inside. My closet had a small door at the back of it that connected to the next bedroom. I don’t know why it was designed that way, but my mom had always thought the original owners had children and that’s what connected their bedrooms. Or maybe it was a speakeasy space back in the 20s. Whatever the reason, I was just glad I had a way out of my room.”

“I raced to the closet, heart pounding in my chest, and pulled my door shut just as the footsteps hit the top of the landing. I moved as quickly as I dared, holding my breath as I opened the small door and crawled through it. When I turned to peer through the slits in my closet door, I saw an older man walk into my bedroom. He was kneeling down next to my bed, looking under it, and I knew I had to make a run for it.”

“I made it to the door and bolted for the stairs, hearing the man cursing behind me. I didn’t stop running. I think I jumped the last five steps and ran for the front door, pulling it open to find my mom and the county sheriff pulling into the driveway at the same time. I remember crying as I hugged her, embarrassed that I was so afraid, but she was crying too. The sheriff had his gun out and went into the house, which only scared me more. My mom dragged me to the car where her date was waiting and we sat in the back with her hugging me so tight. She kept saying over and over again how relieved she was that I was okay.”

“I didn’t understand until days later what had happened. Apparently, my deadbeat dad had shown up in town and wanted to kidnap me. His ex-girlfriend had reported him for his plan, warning the sheriff just in time. As for my mom? She’d rightfully started to worry when I hadn’t answered any of her texts. Her date had brought her home to check on me because he was a stand up guy. He’s actually now my stepdad.”

Liam’s fingers curled around Mason’s, a few tears slipping down his cheeks.

“There’s no moral to this story. I guess I could say you should always keep your phone charged, but I’m glad mine wasn’t. If I’d been distracted by my phone, that psychopath could have gotten away with kidnapping me.” The man onstage finished reading. He cleared his throat and took a long drink of water, glancing out at the crowd. “Anonymous, if you’re here, I want to thank you for the submission. And congratulate you for surviving a terrifying story like that.”

Setting down the bottled water, he cleared his throat again and looked around the room. “I am going to tell you a third story, but I think it’s time for the mask to come off.” His fingers curled around the edge of his mask, rubbing slowly along it. “Because this is a story that you all know the beginning to. The story of a boy who lost his sister at a young age.” Removing the mask, the boy smiled sadly and set it down in front of him.

Liam recognized him at once. Theo Raeken, former resident of Beacon Hills. A year older than Liam, they’d never crossed paths, but everyone knew who he was. His family had moved away after the second most tragic event in the history of the town. His sister, Tara Raeken, had died in the preserve when they were kids. Slipped and fallen off the old bridge when one of the wooden rails had given way. Every year on the anniversary of her death, the news did a special memorial story as they reminded people to be careful in the preserve. Theo’s picture had always been shown in the footage, taken from where he was younger, but Liam could still see the familiarity. Dark hair and those same green eyes were the easiest features to recognize. He had a strong jawline now, having lost the baby fat of his youth, and he’d apparently gained muscle over the years.

The room was deathly silent. 

“My story isn’t exactly like the others,” Theo began. And it wasn’t. He told the story of his sister’s death, the emptiness he’d felt in her absence, and the way he’d fervently wished for her return. Emotion poured from every word, leaving everyone hanging on each one, and Liam felt like he couldn’t breathe. One night at fifteen, Theo had gone to bed before his parents had returned from work. He’d woken in the middle of the night, paralyzed, and found the ghost of his sister standing at the foot of his bed. She’d said nothing, only stared at him, and they’d held eye contact for several minutes. When his parents had finally returned home, the spell had been broken and Tara Raeken was gone in the blink of an eye.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath in unison as the story ended. Theo stood behind the table and smiled nervously, glancing around the room. “I know a lot of you have questions, but I’d like to take a half hour break and get to mingle before we do a Q&A session. Thank you for being such an incredible audience. I’ll be happy to sign autographs and take pictures, just give me a few minutes to get a snack and a drink from concessions. Then I’m all yours.” He said, leaning over and turning the microphone off.

“I need a minute.” Liam said, getting up from his seat. Mason seemed to understand and didn’t press him, letting Liam go. He made his way to the back corner, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. Fuck. He’d never in a million years expected his story to be chosen. Having something so personal shares with the rest of the world...it took a toll on a person. He couldn’t imagine sharing other people’s stories for a living, not things like this.

He wasn’t alone for long. A shadow fell over him and he turned, ready to ask Mason for a few more minutes of solitude, but he was met with a crooked smirk and curious green eyes. “Mind if I join you?” Theo asked.

“Uh...no. Free country and all.” Liam said. “You did great tonight. All of your videos are great,” he blurted out. To his surprise, Theo looked just as embarrassed.

“Thanks. Honestly, I was pretty fucking nervous.”

“You didn’t sound like it at all.”

“My hands were shaking the whole time,” Theo chuckled. “Sorry, this probably isn’t my place, but I wanted to ask if you were okay?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You were in the front row. And you were pretty upset during the second story and I felt bad.” Theo said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “I know I shouldn’t ask-“

“It was my story. I’m Liam Dunbar, your anonymous fan.” He said. Theo’s eyes widened at that and he let out a hollow laugh. “My dad went to prison for his attempted kidnapping and the breaking and entering. We moved less than three months later to the other side of Beacon Hills. My stepdad is a surgeon at the hospital, he couldn’t just uproot his life. And my mom didn’t want to be on the run from my sperm donor.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I just wasn’t expecting to hear you tell my story. But you made it sound good.” Liam said.

“Yeah?” Theo’s brow cocked and he laughed a little more, nodding.

“You make a lot of things sound good,” he said honestly. “You’ve got the kind of voice that makes people melt. You could probably kill someone and sweet talk your way out of it.” Theo burst into laughter at that and Liam shared his smile.

“It’s one thing reading that in video comments and another entirely to hear it in person. I like your spirit, Liam Dunbar.” Theo cast his glance around the room. “I’ve gotta get back out there and mingle, but what do you say we grab coffee when this is all over? My treat?”

“Coffee?” Liam furrowed his brows. 

“Or a milkshake. Fuck, I forget that not everyone drinks coffee.” Theo laughed again.

“Why?” Liam asked. “I mean, why me?”

“Because you shared something deeply personal with me tonight and I owe you a couple of stories to make up for it. Besides, you’re really fucking cute.” Liam’s cheeks burned from the compliment and he contemplated for a moment. What could go wrong?

“Yeah, that actually sounds nice. Should I just hang around after the event?” Liam asked.

“Probably best. It won’t be too much longer. Do you have anywhere else to be?”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are loved and appreciated!


End file.
